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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — a grade
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of law
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. row — a line
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. craft — boats
  13. court — for sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. craft — a skill
  22. court — of a king
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitcher — a jug

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