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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. craft — a skill
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bulb — for light
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — for catching
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bore — to drill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bore — to tire
  15. net — in sport
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bulb — for light
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rest — a break

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