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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rock — music
  4. net — after costs
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. chair — a leader
  10. craft — boats
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. ball — a dance
  13. net — for catching
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rock — a stone
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pound — a weight
  24. net — in sport

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