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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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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 · toast · pitcher · net · kid · pound · present · leaves

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. present — a gift
  4. kid — child
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pound — a weight
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — to tease
  16. craft — a skill
  17. present — the time now
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. net — after costs
  21. present — there
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. net — in sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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