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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 116 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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. net — after costs
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rock — music
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. craft — boats
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — a skill
  20. staff — a stick
  21. net — for catching
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. net — in sport
  24. rock — a stone

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