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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. charge — in control
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. foot — a measure
  8. sharp — clever
  9. net — in sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. charge — a price
  12. chest — a box
  13. charge — electricity
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bound — obliged
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — after costs
  20. bound — tied together
  21. net — for catching
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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