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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. last — finally
  3. craft — a skill
  4. present — a gift
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. net — after costs
  7. rest — a break
  8. capital — money
  9. net — for catching
  10. last — final
  11. net — in sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. present — the time now
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. craft — boats
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — all right
  21. last — to go on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fine — high quality

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