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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pop — soda
  5. content — happy
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. craft — boats
  9. spring — the season
  10. court — of law
  11. pop — to visit
  12. content — the amount
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. land — to come down
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — ground
  17. spring — of water
  18. court — of a king
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — a country
  21. pop — music
  22. court — for sport
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. craft — a skill

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