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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 120 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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. net — after costs
  6. craft — a skill
  7. season — in sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. net — for catching
  14. tube — a container
  15. net — in sport
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bulb — for light
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — for digging

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