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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — for catching
  4. bound — tied together
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — certain
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kick — in football
  14. club — a group
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — in sport
  17. capital — a city
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — after costs
  23. club — for dancing
  24. saw — the tool

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