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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — for catching
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chair — a leader
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. net — after costs
  9. fall — the season
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. craft — a skill
  12. lean — thin
  13. net — in sport
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fall — to drop

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