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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rock — music
  3. mug — a cup
  4. court — for sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. court — of law
  9. craft — boats
  10. mug — a face
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — for catching
  13. rock — a stone
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. court — of a king
  17. staff — employees
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. craft — a skill
  20. net — in sport
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. staff — employees
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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