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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 · race · cap · spell · temple · mine · pitch · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spell — a short time
  5. craft — boats
  6. spell — letters
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. race — the arms race
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. race — humankind
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mine — for digging
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. race — a contest
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spell — magic

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