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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bat — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. craft — a skill
  10. net — for catching
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. net — in sport
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. scale — in music
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rash — hasty
  19. net — after costs
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rash — a series
  24. bat — for baseball

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