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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. drill — army training
  7. scale — size or range
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. date — the fruit
  10. drill — the tool
  11. craft — boats
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. roll — a list
  17. sharp — clever
  18. scale — in music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. drill — a practice
  24. craft — a skill

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