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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: firm · court · arm · pit · wind · craft · tear · saw

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. firm — decided
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of a king
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. craft — boats
  13. pit — in a race
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. firm — steady
  16. tear — from crying
  17. saw — the tool
  18. court — of law
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. court — for sport
  21. firm — a company
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pit — a hole
  24. saw — the tool

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