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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — for catching
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ball — a dance
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mine — for digging
  11. craft — boats
  12. net — after costs
  13. vault — a safe
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mate — a friend
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. press — a publisher
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ball — a round shape

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