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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. craft — a skill
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. face — to confront
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. face — to point toward
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a music group
  11. spell — letters
  12. face — part of the head
  13. season — of the year
  14. object — a thing
  15. court — of a king
  16. file — a tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. court — for sport
  20. file — a line of people
  21. season — in sport
  22. file — a document
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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