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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. suit — to fit
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hand — help
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitch — completely
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. court — of law
  19. suit — in cards
  20. craft — boats
  21. court — of a king
  22. rash — a series
  23. court — for sport
  24. suit — clothes

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