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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — wild animals
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a match
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cue — a signal
  12. net — for catching
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. shower — rain
  15. cue — a hint
  16. craft — a skill
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. craft — boats
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. net — in sport
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cue — for pool
  24. coach — a trainer

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