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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 124 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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. kick — in football
  3. clip — a video
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. net — for catching
  6. toast — bread
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. field — farmland
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. clip — to cut
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. craft — boats
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. clip — for paper

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