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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. craft — boats
  3. file — a tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. root — of a plant
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. file — a document
  8. scale — in music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — for sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. court — of a king
  15. root — the cause
  16. scale — size or range
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. craft — a skill
  23. court — of law
  24. root — of a word

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