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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: mug · court · race · craft · fan · stem · suit · last

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mug — a face
  3. suit — to fit
  4. last — final
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. court — for sport
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. suit — in cards
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stem — to come from
  17. last — to go on
  18. mug — to rob
  19. race — humankind
  20. last — finally
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. race — a contest

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