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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. net — after costs
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. net — in sport
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pass — a permit
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chest — a box
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. net — for catching
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. staff — employees
  19. date — the fruit
  20. toast — bread
  21. craft — boats
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chest — of your body

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