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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — for digging
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. court — of law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. craft — boats
  18. mine — an explosive

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