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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kid — to tease
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — a group
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pop — soda
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pop — to visit
  10. kid — child
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pop — music
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. net — after costs
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. net — for catching
  18. club — for dancing
  19. net — in sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chair — a leader
  22. club — for golf
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — to sit on

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