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

Word bank: rule · hide · saw · club · content · craft · hand · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — for dancing
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — decided
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. craft — a skill
  11. club — a group
  12. firm — steady
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rule — government
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. club — for golf
  22. content — the amount
  23. craft — boats
  24. rule — to rule out

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