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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. last — final
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — a city
  6. perch — the fish
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. capital — money
  10. last — to go on
  11. content — happy
  12. bank — for money
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. net — after costs
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. net — for catching
  18. content — the amount
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. craft — boats
  24. last — finally

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