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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. key — for a lock
  3. land — ground
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. land — to come down
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. court — of law
  11. key — in music
  12. court — for sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. craft — boats
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bulb — for light
  20. court — of a king
  21. scale — in music
  22. land — a country
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. date — the fruit

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