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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. craft — boats
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. scale — size or range
  7. face — part of the head
  8. net — in sport
  9. club — for golf
  10. row — to paddle
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. row — a line
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mug — a cup
  15. net — for catching
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mug — a face
  19. face — to confront
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mug — to rob
  22. face — to point toward
  23. club — a group
  24. scale — in music

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