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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. net — after costs
  7. craft — boats
  8. rash — a series
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. net — in sport
  11. mate — a partner
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. net — for catching
  15. craft — a skill
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bark — to shout
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pass — a permit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. craft — a handicraft

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