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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spring — of water
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. clip — to cut
  7. object — an aim
  8. craft — boats
  9. clip — a video
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spring — a coil
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — child
  19. board — a committee
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. object — a thing
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. spring — the season
  24. safe — a strongbox

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