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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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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: craft · wind · chip · rock · pass · court · lean · content

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. craft — boats
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lean — thin
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rock — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. content — happy
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. court — of law
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. content — the amount
  22. craft — a skill
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pass — to spend time

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