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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bound — certain
  4. cold — an illness
  5. court — for sport
  6. ball — a great time
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. ball — a dance
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. bound — tied together
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bound — obliged

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