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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. craft — a skill
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. face — to point toward
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. craft — boats
  11. race — humankind
  12. kid — child
  13. race — a contest
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kid — to tease
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. snap — to click
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — a series
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. face — to confront
  23. court — of a king
  24. rash — on the skin

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