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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. craft — boats
  3. club — for golf
  4. net — after costs
  5. key — the most important part
  6. land — a country
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. land — to come down
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pass — a permit
  11. club — for dancing
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. net — for catching
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. land — ground
  18. rush — hurry
  19. key — in music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. club — a group
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. key — for a lock

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