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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. net — for catching
  6. craft — boats
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. roll — a list
  10. net — after costs
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. object — to protest
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. spring — of water
  17. roll — a cake
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — in sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. object — an aim
  24. craft — a skill

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