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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. craft — a skill
  5. court — for sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. drill — army training
  8. rest — a break
  9. court — of law
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — a practice
  12. snap — to click
  13. mate — to breed
  14. craft — boats
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bound — obliged
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wind — moving air
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wind — moving air

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