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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: mug · net · game · present · craft · chip · fall · tear

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a face
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — the season
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. present — there
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fall — to drop
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. game — a match
  20. chip — to eat
  21. craft — boats
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. craft — a handicraft

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