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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. track — a path
  10. file — a tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. season — of the year
  13. mark — a grade
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. track — a song
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fork — in a road
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. file — a document
  22. craft — boats
  23. mark — a trace
  24. track — to keep track

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