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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. march — the month
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. present — a gift
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. present — there
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. charge — a price
  17. court — of law
  18. march — the month
  19. present — the time now
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — music
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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