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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. court — of law
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pop — soda
  4. craft — a skill
  5. court — for sport
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rock — music
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cold — not warm
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. craft — boats
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. court — of a king
  21. rock — a stone
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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