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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. net — for catching
  3. scale — in music
  4. craft — boats
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — after costs
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. march — music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. march — the month
  21. net — in sport
  22. rock — music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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