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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 116 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. net — for catching
  3. snap — to click
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. craft — a skill
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. craft — boats
  24. fan — to cool the air

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