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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. net — after costs
  2. craft — boats
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. suit — clothes
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. scale — size or range
  9. suit — in cards
  10. net — for catching
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. craft — a skill
  17. net — in sport
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. suit — to fit
  23. ground — crushed
  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