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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — to go on
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. last — final
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. present — the time now
  12. net — after costs
  13. craft — boats
  14. net — for catching
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rash — hasty
  17. craft — a skill
  18. last — finally
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rash — a series
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. present — there
  24. rash — on the skin

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