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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. net — in sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. march — music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. roll — a list
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. root — of a plant
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. march — the month
  15. net — after costs
  16. craft — a skill
  17. root — the cause
  18. scale — in music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. root — of a word
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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