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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. shower — rain
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. band — a ring
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. craft — boats
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rock — a stone
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. court — for sport
  17. content — happy
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. content — the amount
  20. band — a music group
  21. craft — a skill
  22. court — of law
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — of a king

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