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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. firm — a company
  3. net — for catching
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. degree — temperature
  7. craft — boats
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cold — an illness
  11. squash — to crush
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. degree — from a university
  16. net — in sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. squash — the sport
  19. firm — steady
  20. degree — an amount
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — to handle
  23. firm — decided
  24. net — after costs

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