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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. staff — employees
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. net — after costs
  7. staff — employees
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. net — for catching
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. net — in sport
  20. craft — boats
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ruler — for measuring

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