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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: game · saw · mine · can · deal · net · craft · ground

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. ground — a position
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. craft — a skill
  6. net — in sport
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — after costs
  9. ground — crushed
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. ground — the earth
  17. game — a match
  18. craft — boats
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. saw — the tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. can — a tin
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mine — for digging

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