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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bear — the animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. season — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. craft — boats
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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