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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bass — low music
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. fork — in a road

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