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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — for catching
  4. chest — of your body
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. mine — for digging
  7. net — in sport
  8. current — of water
  9. craft — a skill
  10. current — electric
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — after costs
  13. fine — high quality
  14. last — finally
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. chest — a box
  17. last — to go on
  18. current — happening now
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spell — a short time
  22. last — final
  23. spell — letters
  24. fine — all right

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