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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. craft — a skill
  3. deal — to handle
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. file — a line of people
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. craft — boats
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pit — in a race
  16. net — for catching
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. net — after costs
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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