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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 116 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — happy
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mug — to rob
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mug — a face
  12. court — for sport
  13. kid — child
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — boats
  16. kid — to tease
  17. content — the amount
  18. object — to protest
  19. court — of law
  20. mug — a cup
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. squash — to crush
  24. coach — a trainer

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