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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bound — obliged
  3. capital — money
  4. row — a line
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — soda
  8. craft — boats
  9. court — for sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. row — to paddle
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bound — tied together
  15. capital — a city
  16. rock — music
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pop — to visit
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. court — of law
  21. pop — music
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bound — certain
  24. rock — to move gently

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