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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bass — the fish
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bass — low music
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. net — in sport
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fall — the season
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. craft — boats
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — to roll

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