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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. court — of a king
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. chest — a box
  13. court — for sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spring — the season
  16. rock — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — a stone
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. craft — a skill
  22. plane — a tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rock — to move gently

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