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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. net — for catching
  3. bark — to shout
  4. kick — in football
  5. band — a music group
  6. game — a match
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. plane — a tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. band — a ring
  20. craft — boats
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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