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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. craft — a skill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. court — of a king
  7. bear — the animal
  8. craft — boats
  9. content — happy
  10. court — for sport
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bear — the animal
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. court — of law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. content — the amount

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