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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. court — of law
  4. rest — a break
  5. race — humankind
  6. court — for sport
  7. craft — a skill
  8. present — a gift
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. race — a contest
  11. present — there
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. lie — to recline
  17. ball — a dance
  18. present — the time now
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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