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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. capital — a city
  4. court — of law
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. rush — hurry
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wind — moving air
  9. craft — boats
  10. suit — to fit
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. court — for sport
  15. craft — a skill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. court — of a king
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rash — a series
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wind — moving air

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