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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. firm — a company
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. craft — boats
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — steady
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — after costs
  14. cold — an illness
  15. charge — in control
  16. march — music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. net — for catching
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — decided
  22. charge — a price
  23. craft — a skill
  24. charge — electricity

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