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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. net — in sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — after costs
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spring — the season
  8. bass — the fish
  9. row — a line
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — to paddle
  12. game — a match
  13. craft — a skill
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bass — low music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. craft — boats
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. net — for catching
  22. spring — of water
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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