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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. land — to come down
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. hand — in cards
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — in sport
  13. craft — a skill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. craft — boats
  16. rock — a stone
  17. land — a country
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. net — for catching

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