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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. degree — from a university
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — an amount
  9. season — in sport
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. season — of the year
  12. rock — music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. degree — temperature
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. temple — a place of worship

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