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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. court — of law
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — boats
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rule — a law
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. hand — help
  13. court — for sport
  14. rule — government
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — in cards
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bank — of a river
  20. court — of a king
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bank — for money

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