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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rock — a stone
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. net — in sport
  15. season — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. season — of the year
  18. chip — to eat
  19. key — in music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wax — to grow

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