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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. net — in sport
  3. craft — boats
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — to wash
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — after costs
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — rain
  24. spell — a short time

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