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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stand — to bear
  8. season — of the year
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — hurry
  11. court — for sport
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mate — a friend
  14. game — a match
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. court — of law
  19. season — in sport
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. court — of a king
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rush — to hurry

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