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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mate — a friend
  3. craft — a skill
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a great time
  10. perch — the fish
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. root — of a word
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. track — to keep track
  16. vault — a safe
  17. track — a path
  18. root — of a plant
  19. track — a song
  20. craft — boats
  21. mate — a partner
  22. root — the cause
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mate — to breed

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