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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — of the year
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. craft — a skill
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. season — in sport
  19. mark — a trace
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — boats

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