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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. stock — shares
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. court — of a king
  7. bound — tied together
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. net — for catching
  10. row — a line
  11. craft — a skill
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. court — for sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. court — of law
  16. net — after costs
  17. craft — boats
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. net — in sport
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stock — goods
  24. row — to paddle

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