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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. charge — electricity
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — soda
  9. charge — a price
  10. season — in sport
  11. charge — in control
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cell — in biology
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. craft — a skill
  22. net — after costs
  23. craft — boats
  24. cell — a phone

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