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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. can — a tin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. last — to go on
  4. can — to be able to
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. court — for sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. saw — the tool
  14. court — of law
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. craft — boats
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. saw — the tool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  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