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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 116 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. craft — boats
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. court — for sport
  7. kid — child
  8. net — after costs
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. court — of law
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. net — in sport
  24. craft — a handicraft

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