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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. present — a gift
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. club — for golf
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. club — for dancing
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. clip — a video
  14. court — for sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. net — in sport
  18. present — the time now
  19. net — for catching
  20. court — of a king
  21. present — there
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. club — a group
  24. net — after costs

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