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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: key · rock · net · chip · craft · cold · saw · kick

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — for a lock
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. craft — boats
  10. cold — an illness
  11. net — in sport
  12. key — in music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chip — for betting
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. key — the most important part
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chip — to eat
  21. kick — in football
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. craft — a skill

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