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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. net — after costs
  5. toast — bread
  6. court — of a king
  7. hand — help
  8. court — of law
  9. craft — boats
  10. pop — soda
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. craft — a skill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pop — music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. court — for sport
  24. date — the fruit

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