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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. track — a song
  7. court — of law
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. track — to keep track
  10. staff — a stick
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. staff — employees
  14. row — to paddle
  15. foot — a measure
  16. track — a path
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. court — for sport
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. court — of a king

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