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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. key — the most important part
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — for a lock
  7. court — of law
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. object — a thing
  10. craft — boats
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — of water
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. object — to protest
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spring — the season
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — a skill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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