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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stock — goods
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — a series
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a partner
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. net — in sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. craft — boats
  20. mate — to breed
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pop — music
  23. stock — shares
  24. kid — to tease

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