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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fine — high quality
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — a group
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fine — all right
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. club — for golf
  20. craft — boats
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fine — a penalty
  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