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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — ground
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. craft — boats
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. court — for sport
  14. ball — a dance
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — of a king
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — in a road
  23. court — of law
  24. land — a country

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