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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wind — moving air
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. court — of law
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. craft — boats
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wind — moving air
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ruler — for measuring

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