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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mark — a trace
  5. craft — a skill
  6. net — after costs
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. net — for catching
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tear — to rip
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — a grade
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. tear — from crying
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. craft — boats
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. net — in sport
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. tear — from crying

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