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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. craft — boats
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. net — for catching
  16. drill — the tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pitch — completely
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. net — after costs
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — a skill
  24. coach — a trainer

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