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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. charge — in control
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. craft — boats
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. charge — a price
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. craft — a skill
  20. shower — rain
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mine — for digging
  24. charge — electricity

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