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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. net — after costs
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mate — a partner
  5. prune — to trim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. file — a tool
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. mate — a friend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mate — to breed
  16. net — for catching
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. toast — bread
  19. file — a line of people
  20. net — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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