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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. march — music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ground — a position
  12. march — the month
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. net — after costs
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — the amount
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stand — to bear
  20. march — the month
  21. dip — to sink
  22. content — happy
  23. craft — a skill
  24. racket — for tennis

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