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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rest — a break
  6. season — of the year
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fine — high quality
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. file — a document
  12. degree — from a university
  13. craft — boats
  14. season — in sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fine — all right
  18. rest — what's left
  19. file — a tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. craft — a skill
  24. degree — temperature

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