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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rock — a stone
  5. court — for sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. craft — a skill
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. degree — an amount
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rock — music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. court — of a king
  19. craft — boats
  20. board — a committee
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. court — of law

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