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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — for catching
  3. scale — in music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bound — obliged
  7. net — after costs
  8. craft — a skill
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. craft — boats
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. net — in sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — certain
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tear — to rip
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. foot — the bottom

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