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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rule — a law
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. craft — boats
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. craft — a skill
  11. season — in sport
  12. rule — government
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rock — music
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. court — of a king
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cue — a hint
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rock — a stone
  21. perch — the fish
  22. season — of the year
  23. mine — for digging
  24. craft — a handicraft

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