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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — a line
  6. craft — boats
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fine — high quality
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. court — of a king
  11. spell — letters
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fine — all right
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. plane — a tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — the most important part
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. key — in music

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