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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. net — for catching
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. prune — to trim
  9. craft — a skill
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fine — all right
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. drill — army training
  15. craft — boats
  16. net — after costs
  17. drill — the tool
  18. capital — money
  19. file — a tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. net — in sport
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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