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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. suit — in cards
  7. rule — government
  8. suit — to fit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rule — a law
  15. last — final
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — a skill
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rock — a stone
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chest — a box
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. suit — clothes

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