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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. shower — rain
  3. ball — a great time
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fork — in a road
  6. craft — a skill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chair — a leader
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. net — after costs
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. shower — to wash
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. net — for catching
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. craft — boats
  23. ball — a dance
  24. net — in sport

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