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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: press · mate · court · spell · craft · shower · pop · racket

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. press — a publisher
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mate — a friend
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pop — to visit
  9. shower — rain
  10. court — of law
  11. mate — to breed
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. spell — a short time
  14. court — for sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. court — of a king
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. press — to push
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. press — newspapers

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