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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. track — to keep track
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — for sport
  5. craft — a skill
  6. court — of law
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spring — the season
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. track — a path
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. court — of a king
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. track — a song
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spell — letters
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spring — of water
  22. craft — boats
  23. spell — magic
  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