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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. net — after costs
  3. craft — boats
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cap — of ice
  7. drill — army training
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. drill — the tool
  11. march — music
  12. net — for catching
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rash — hasty
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rash — a series
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — in sport
  22. craft — a skill
  23. drill — a practice
  24. march — the month

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