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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. craft — a skill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. dip — to sink
  12. craft — boats
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. net — in sport
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. net — for catching
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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