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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. net — for catching
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — in sport
  7. root — of a word
  8. rest — a break
  9. craft — boats
  10. rest — what's left
  11. staff — a stick
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. net — after costs
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — of a plant
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. staff — employees
  23. root — the cause
  24. rest — what's left

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