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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. court — for sport
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. court — of a king
  6. fine — all right
  7. spell — magic
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — letters
  10. fine — high quality
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — a weight
  15. spell — a short time
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — army training
  18. craft — boats
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. kick — in football
  21. staff — employees
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. staff — employees
  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