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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cell · net · bowl · court · spell · toast · roll

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. craft — boats
  6. spell — letters
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. toast — bread
  15. court — of a king
  16. cell — a phone
  17. court — of law
  18. net — in sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. spell — a short time
  22. craft — a skill
  23. court — for sport
  24. net — for catching

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