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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rash — a series
  6. court — of law
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. craft — boats
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bound — obliged
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — certain
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. court — for sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rash — hasty
  23. craft — a skill
  24. court — of a king

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