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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. ground — the earth
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cell — a phone
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cell — in biology
  8. sharp — clever
  9. game — wild animals
  10. court — for sport
  11. root — of a plant
  12. game — a match
  13. court — of law
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ground — crushed
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. court — of a king
  20. ground — a position
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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