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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. court — for sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. court — of a king
  6. craft — boats
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — to recline
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. craft — a skill
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. present — the time now
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. present — there
  24. pound — a weight

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