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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. court — of law
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — of a king
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stock — shares
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — an illness
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. court — for sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. craft — boats
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. cold — not warm
  24. dip — to dunk

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