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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. pit — in a race
  3. court — of law
  4. object — a thing
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. craft — boats
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cold — not warm
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. court — of a king
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pit — a hole
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. court — for 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