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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cell — a phone
  4. scale — in music
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. degree — temperature
  9. craft — boats
  10. hand — help
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — from a university
  13. scale — size or range
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hand — in cards
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chair — a leader
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. craft — a skill
  24. hand — part of the body

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