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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. net — after costs
  5. staff — employees
  6. bass — low music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — for catching
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. staff — employees
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. net — in sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. date — on the calendar

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