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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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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. clip — a video
  3. firm — steady
  4. fork — in a road
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wound — an injury
  7. craft — boats
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. firm — decided
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — to cut
  14. degree — temperature
  15. present — there
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. firm — a company
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. clip — for paper
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. fork — to eat with

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