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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — a coil
  4. court — of a king
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. craft — boats
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — a signal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cue — a hint
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cue — for pool
  15. court — of law
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chest — a box
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — temperature
  21. spring — of water
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chest — of your body

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