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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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. net — in sport
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rash — hasty
  12. deal — to handle
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fork — in a road
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. craft — boats

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