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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fork — in a road
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bass — low music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. degree — from a university
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. craft — a skill
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. craft — boats
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — help
  24. tear — to rip

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