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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. net — after costs
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. track — a song
  9. net — in sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. track — a path
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — a partner
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. craft — a skill
  23. track — to keep track
  24. safe — out of danger

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