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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — happy
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. content — the amount
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — boats
  24. mouse — for a computer

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