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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. net — in sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. face — to confront
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. net — after costs
  10. tube — a container
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mate — a partner
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mate — a friend
  18. net — for catching
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — a measure

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