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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. net — for catching
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. net — in sport
  6. degree — an amount
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bass — low music
  9. rash — a series
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bass — the fish
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. suit — to fit

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