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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. court — of a king
  4. bass — low music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rest — a break
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — of law
  13. field — for sport
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. court — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. craft — boats
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wake — a trail
  24. lean — thin

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