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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. clip — a video
  3. court — of a king
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. squash — the sport
  6. present — the time now
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. craft — a skill
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. court — for sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. present — a gift
  22. court — of law
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. present — there

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