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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cell — a phone
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bear — the animal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. court — of a king
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. craft — boats
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. squash — to crush
  19. track — a path
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rush — hurry
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. track — a song

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