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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bark — to shout
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mug — a cup
  6. date — the fruit
  7. mug — a face
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wind — moving air
  19. net — after costs
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — in sport
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. sharp — clever

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