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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. sharp — clever
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. court — of a king
  7. cell — in biology
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bark — to shout
  20. court — of law
  21. cell — a phone
  22. craft — boats
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — the tool

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