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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.

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: dip · craft · fan · court · straw · bat · rock · bear

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rock — music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. court — of law
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. court — of a king
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. craft — boats
  15. bear — the animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. court — for sport
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bat — the animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bear — to put up with

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