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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chair — a leader
  6. craft — boats
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — low music
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — for catching
  13. can — a tin
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. net — in sport
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. net — after costs
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. can — to be able to

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