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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cap — a lid
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spell — a short time
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — in a road
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. kick — in football
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cap — a hat
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. craft — a skill
  23. spell — letters
  24. chair — a leader

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