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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — after costs
  3. craft — a skill
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. content — happy
  8. roll — a list
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. net — for catching
  16. content — the amount
  17. ground — a position
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. spell — a short time
  20. roll — a cake
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. roll — on a roll

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