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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hand — help
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bore — to drill
  14. court — of law
  15. march — the month
  16. land — ground
  17. rash — hasty
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. court — for sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. craft — boats
  22. mine — for digging
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rash — a series

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