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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. craft — a skill
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pop — to visit
  8. clip — to cut
  9. court — of law
  10. clip — for paper
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. clip — a video
  15. rule — government
  16. court — of a king
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. craft — boats
  20. fine — all right
  21. pop — music
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pop — soda

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