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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fan — a supporter

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