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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. craft — a skill
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — a position
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ground — the earth
  8. key — in music
  9. craft — boats
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cue — a signal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. cue — for pool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cue — a hint
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — in cards
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. net — in sport
  23. key — the most important part
  24. hand — part of the body

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