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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. court — of law
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. game — a match
  12. lean — thin
  13. court — of a king
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — for sport
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. march — the month
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. jam — a tight spot

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