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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. net — after costs
  9. saw — the tool
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. net — for catching
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. scale — in music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. club — for golf
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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