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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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Word bank
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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. can — to be able to
  4. net — for catching
  5. race — humankind
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. can — a tin
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. game — wild animals
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. degree — temperature
  16. net — after costs
  17. degree — from a university
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. net — in sport
  20. race — a contest
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. craft — boats
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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