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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lean — thin
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — a skill
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. court — of a king
  13. scale — in music
  14. court — for sport
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. dip — to sink
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. squash — to crush
  21. board — a committee
  22. craft — boats
  23. board — to get on
  24. lean — to rest against

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