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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rule — a law
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rule — government
  6. saw — the tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. court — of a king
  9. ground — a position
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ground — crushed
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ground — the earth
  24. court — of law

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