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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. court — for sport
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. squash — the sport
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cue — a hint
  10. drill — army training
  11. cue — a signal
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cue — for pool
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. drill — a practice
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — the tool

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