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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. game — a match
  5. bulb — for light
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. court — for sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. bat — the animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mug — to rob
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bulb — of a plant

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