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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. craft — boats
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — all right
  7. staff — employees
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — high quality
  11. craft — a skill
  12. spring — the season
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. spring — of water
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — a stick
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spring — a coil

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