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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chip — for betting
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — size or range
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chip — to eat
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fork — in a road
  24. perch — the fish

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