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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — of a king
  3. craft — a skill
  4. swing — in golf
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cell — in biology
  12. craft — boats
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — for sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tear — from crying
  24. wake — before a funeral

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