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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. craft — boats
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. craft — a skill
  5. court — of law
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — goods
  9. last — finally
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bass — the fish
  12. court — of a king
  13. staff — employees
  14. court — for sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. last — to go on
  17. ball — a great time
  18. last — final
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — shares
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pass — a permit

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