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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. ball — a dance
  4. net — after costs
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. craft — a skill
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. net — for catching
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. craft — boats
  15. bound — tied together
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ball — a great time
  23. net — in sport
  24. wave — with your hand

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