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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. court — of law
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — to bear
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. net — after costs
  8. drill — army training
  9. club — for golf
  10. cold — an illness
  11. club — a group
  12. drill — the tool
  13. court — of a king
  14. firm — steady
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. court — for sport
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. net — for catching
  22. firm — a company
  23. drill — a practice
  24. net — in sport

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