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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. scale — in music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — for sport
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stock — goods
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. scale — size or range
  16. court — of law
  17. craft — boats
  18. court — of a king
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. calf — a young animal

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