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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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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: net · fine · last · kid · rush · ball · wind · craft

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. craft — a skill
  3. last — finally
  4. kid — to tease
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. net — in sport
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ball — a dance
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rush — hurry
  14. fine — all right
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — final
  17. fine — high quality
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ball — a great time
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. last — to go on

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