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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. court — for sport
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rest — what's left
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rest — a break

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