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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — of a king
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. court — for sport
  9. craft — boats
  10. mark — a trace
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. court — of law
  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