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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. object — to protest
  4. net — after costs
  5. drill — the tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. drill — army training
  8. rest — what's left
  9. net — for catching
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. craft — a skill
  13. march — the month
  14. craft — boats
  15. net — in sport
  16. object — a thing
  17. march — music
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — the month
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. object — an aim
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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