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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. field — a subject
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. row — to paddle
  8. craft — boats
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — the amount
  13. field — for sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. field — farmland
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ball — a great time
  20. content — happy
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hide — to keep secret

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