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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. net — for catching
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. net — after costs
  7. chair — a leader
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. craft — boats
  10. scale — size or range
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bore — to tire
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rash — hasty
  23. dip — to sink
  24. scale — in music

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