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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. degree — an amount
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — magic
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. degree — temperature
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spell — a short time
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. court — for sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. spell — letters
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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