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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cold — not warm
  4. game — a match
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. craft — boats
  22. spell — letters
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. game — wild animals

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