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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. key — the most important part
  3. spring — the season
  4. firm — a company
  5. net — after costs
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. firm — steady
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spring — of water
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. spring — a coil
  12. key — in music
  13. net — for catching
  14. rock — a stone
  15. net — in sport
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. firm — decided
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. degree — temperature
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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