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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — of law
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rash — hasty
  7. craft — boats
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rash — a series
  13. clip — to cut
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. clip — for paper
  17. court — for sport
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. court — of a king
  24. chip — to eat

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