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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. craft — a skill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kid — to tease
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bass — low music
  7. kid — child
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. season — of the year
  11. field — farmland
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ball — a dance
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. net — after costs
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a great time
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — a subject

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