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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. craft — boats
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. foot — a measure
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rash — a series
  17. court — of a king
  18. last — finally
  19. craft — a skill
  20. last — to go on
  21. row — a line
  22. vault — a safe
  23. last — final
  24. court — of law

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