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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — after costs
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — in sport
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. net — for catching
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pit — a hole
  13. march — the month
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — in music
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — size or range
  18. march — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — the month
  21. pit — in a race
  22. game — wild animals
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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