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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. net — in sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. track — a song
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. track — a path
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. net — after costs
  10. season — of the year
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — to keep track
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. net — for catching
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mug — to rob
  20. season — in sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mug — a face
  24. craft — a handicraft

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