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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. degree — temperature
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. court — of law
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rock — music
  7. degree — from a university
  8. capital — a city
  9. degree — an amount
  10. court — of a king
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitch — completely
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rock — a stone

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