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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. season — of the year
  3. march — music
  4. net — for catching
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. march — the month
  7. net — after costs
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — the underground
  13. net — in sport
  14. fine — all right
  15. tube — a container
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. craft — boats
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fine — high quality
  24. season — 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