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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. net — after costs
  3. craft — boats
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. suit — clothes
  6. spring — the season
  7. craft — a skill
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rock — music
  11. sharp — clever
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — a stone
  14. net — in sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — a coil
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. net — for catching
  24. suit — to fit

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