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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kid — to tease
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fine — all right
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. kid — child
  11. charge — a price
  12. prune — to trim
  13. court — of law
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. charge — in control
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. court — for sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. deal — to handle
  22. craft — a skill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — of a king

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