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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. hand — help
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. game — a match
  5. file — a tool
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. hand — in cards
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. court — of a king
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. court — for sport
  17. date — the fruit
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. court — of law
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. craft — a skill
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. toast — bread

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