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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. shower — rain
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. craft — a skill
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitch — completely
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bound — certain
  12. wax — to grow
  13. court — of law
  14. bound — obliged
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. craft — boats

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