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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. squash — to crush
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mug — a cup
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fork — in a road
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mug — a face
  16. net — for catching
  17. spring — the season
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mug — to rob
  23. spring — of water
  24. calf — of the leg

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