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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rock — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. saw — the tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rock — a stone
  15. court — for sport
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mate — a friend
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. court — of a king
  21. mate — a partner
  22. saw — the tool
  23. craft — a skill
  24. court — of law

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