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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 · stick · dip · key · content · pass · tear · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. content — happy
  4. tear — from crying
  5. key — in music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. craft — a skill
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — the amount
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. craft — boats
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. key — for a lock
  18. tear — to rip
  19. key — the most important part
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. dip — a sauce

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