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

Word bank: craft · clip · kid · kick · board · cap · firm · wound

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wound — an injury
  3. board — to get on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — a hat
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. board — a committee
  11. clip — to cut
  12. kick — in football
  13. firm — steady
  14. wound — an injury
  15. clip — a video
  16. craft — boats
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. craft — a skill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cap — of ice
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  24. clip — for paper

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