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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cap — a hat
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cap — a lid
  6. game — a match
  7. ground — crushed
  8. tube — the underground
  9. craft — a skill
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. file — a tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. net — after costs
  14. cap — of ice
  15. file — a document
  16. craft — boats
  17. ground — the earth
  18. net — for catching
  19. file — a line of people
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tube — a container
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. net — in sport
  24. tube — in a tire

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