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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. net — in sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fall — to drop
  5. clip — to cut
  6. net — for catching
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mug — to rob
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. mug — a face
  12. fall — the season
  13. capital — money
  14. mug — a cup
  15. object — to protest
  16. fall — to drop
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — after costs
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — a video
  21. capital — a city
  22. clip — for paper
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. capital — a big letter

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