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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. court — of a king
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. court — for sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. craft — boats
  10. land — ground
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. branch — a division
  14. court — of law
  15. land — a country
  16. rash — a series
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. row — a line
  19. deal — to handle
  20. object — an aim
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. land — to come down
  23. craft — a skill
  24. object — a thing

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