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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tear — from crying
  9. present — there
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rock — a stone
  13. present — the time now
  14. tear — from crying
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rock — music
  19. tear — to rip
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — for catching
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — a gift
  24. net — in sport

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