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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. spell — a short time
  4. craft — boats
  5. current — electric
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. net — after costs
  9. capital — a city
  10. craft — a skill
  11. court — of law
  12. current — of water
  13. capital — money
  14. spell — magic
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spell — letters
  17. current — happening now
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. court — for sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rush — hurry
  24. net — for catching

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