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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: craft · patient · chip · snap · temple · court · spring · kid

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kid — to tease
  3. court — of a king
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. kid — child
  8. court — of law
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. court — for sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spring — the season
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chip — to eat
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to click
  24. spring — a coil

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