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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. file — a document
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. craft — boats
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — temperature
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. degree — an amount
  16. file — a tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. court — of a king

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