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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. land — ground
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. land — a country
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — to sink
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. court — of law
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — for sport
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. march — the month
  19. craft — boats
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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