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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. court — for sport
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. rest — a break
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hand — in cards
  8. court — of law
  9. hand — help
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. pop — to visit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pop — soda
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. net — for catching
  19. rest — what's left
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. court — of a king
  24. pop — music

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