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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · pit · court · craft · bat · chest

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pit — in a race
  5. court — of law
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of a king
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. craft — boats
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. court — for sport
  18. craft — a handicraft

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