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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pop — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. pop — to visit
  9. craft — a skill
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. roll — a list
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fork — in a road
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — soda

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