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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. craft — a skill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. net — after costs
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. kick — in football
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. net — for catching
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. craft — boats
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. field — farmland
  20. rash — a series
  21. net — in sport
  22. date — the fruit
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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