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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pop — soda
  3. court — of law
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. court — for sport
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — a hat
  12. board — a committee
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. board — to get on
  21. game — a match
  22. cap — of ice
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. craft — a skill

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