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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. court — for sport
  6. craft — a skill
  7. current — of water
  8. cap — of ice
  9. current — happening now
  10. season — of the year
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spell — letters
  14. season — in sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. court — of law
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. court — of a king
  19. bark — to shout
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spell — magic
  22. current — electric
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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