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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · degree · lie · can · net · rock · last · coach

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. net — in sport
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — temperature
  9. craft — boats
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — finally
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. last — to go on
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — from a university
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — a tin
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rock — music
  21. degree — an amount
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. last — final
  24. rock — a stone

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