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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. craft — a skill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ball — a great time
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. firm — steady
  11. degree — an amount
  12. firm — a company
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. firm — decided
  15. rash — a series
  16. game — a match
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. craft — boats
  19. game — wild animals
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. degree — temperature

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