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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. craft — boats
  6. key — the most important part
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spring — a coil
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fine — high quality
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spring — of water
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fine — all right
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. key — in music
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. spring — the season
  23. key — for a lock
  24. sharp — exactly

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