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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kick — in football
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. craft — boats
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. net — after costs
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — army training
  18. craft — a skill

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