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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. court — of law
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — of water
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spring — the season
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. race — a contest
  14. craft — boats
  15. court — of a king
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bear — the animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. race — humankind

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