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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. object — a thing
  5. mug — to rob
  6. craft — a skill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cold — an illness
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — a city
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mug — a cup
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. object — an aim
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. net — after costs
  19. craft — boats
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mug — a face
  23. object — to protest
  24. capital — money

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