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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. present — there
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. kid — to tease
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fork — in a road
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. craft — boats
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. craft — a skill
  14. present — a gift
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. club — for golf
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. club — a group
  20. kid — child
  21. toast — bread
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. present — the time now

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