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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. craft — boats
  10. kick — in football
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bound — certain
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bound — tied together
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com