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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 116 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fine — all right
  4. saw — the tool
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. dip — to sink
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fine — high quality
  15. net — in sport
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — the animal
  18. craft — boats
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. fan — a supporter

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