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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.

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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. net — for catching
  9. craft — a skill
  10. lean — thin
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. net — in sport
  13. craft — boats
  14. lean — to bend
  15. drill — army training
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — side of the head

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