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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. drill — the tool
  4. staff — a stick
  5. last — to go on
  6. bass — the fish
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. craft — boats
  10. drill — army training
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. drill — a practice
  14. object — to protest
  15. staff — employees
  16. object — a thing
  17. staff — employees
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. craft — a skill
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. last — final
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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