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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. tear — to rip
  5. craft — boats
  6. degree — an amount
  7. craft — a skill
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — music
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. swing — in golf
  15. firm — decided
  16. swing — to play on
  17. firm — steady
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — from a university
  20. firm — a company
  21. court — of law
  22. tear — from crying
  23. perch — the fish
  24. craft — a handicraft

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