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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. face — to point toward
  6. court — of a king
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. craft — boats
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. season — in sport
  18. face — to confront
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — of law
  21. chip — to eat
  22. spring — the season
  23. craft — a skill
  24. face — part of the head

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