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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — to come down
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. land — ground
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. land — a country
  8. craft — boats
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — from a university
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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