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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: net · bore · craft · temple · last · fan · kick · staff

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. staff — employees
  3. last — final
  4. net — in sport
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. staff — employees
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. staff — a stick
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bore — to drill

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