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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. craft — boats
  3. pop — soda
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — for sport
  10. mine — for digging
  11. court — of law
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — of a king
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. chip — for betting
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rest — a break

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