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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. craft — a skill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — for catching
  8. lean — thin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stock — goods
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. perch — the fish
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stand — to bear
  20. net — in sport
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. craft — boats
  23. stock — shares
  24. stand — for spectators

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