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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. net — after costs
  2. season — in sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rest — a break
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rock — music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. craft — boats
  18. season — of the year
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. wind — moving air
  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