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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. plane — a tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. object — an aim
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. object — a thing
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — the season
  13. cold — not warm
  14. hand — help
  15. net — for catching
  16. craft — boats
  17. spring — a coil
  18. foot — a measure
  19. net — in sport
  20. spring — of water
  21. craft — a skill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cold — an illness
  24. plane — an aircraft

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