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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rest — a break
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — after costs
  9. pop — soda
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. craft — boats
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mate — a friend
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mate — a partner
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. staff — employees
  21. net — for catching
  22. pop — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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