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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mine — for digging
  5. object — an aim
  6. court — for sport
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. key — for a lock
  15. court — of law
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. key — in music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. craft — boats
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. court — of a king

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