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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. net — for catching
  3. can — a tin
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. can — to be able to
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — after costs
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. craft — boats
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — a hole

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