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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. file — a tool
  3. craft — boats
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. net — after costs
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. file — a line of people
  8. land — to come down
  9. mate — a friend
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. current — electric
  12. dip — to sink
  13. land — a country
  14. craft — a skill
  15. current — happening now
  16. net — for catching
  17. mate — to breed
  18. net — in sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. file — a document
  22. land — ground
  23. current — of water
  24. mate — a partner

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