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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. sharp — clever
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. court — of a king
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. capital — money
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. deal — to handle
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. craft — a skill
  17. court — of law
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. capital — a city
  21. bat — the animal
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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