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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. plane — a tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — the sport
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mark — a trace
  18. plane — in geometry

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