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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. date — the fruit
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. march — music
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. toast — bread
  18. net — in sport
  19. march — the month
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitch — completely
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. net — after costs
  24. craft — boats

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