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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — of a king
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tear — from crying
  15. season — in sport
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. season — of the year
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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