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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — boats
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bound — certain
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hand — help

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