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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bass — low music
  5. field — farmland
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. board — a committee
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. craft — boats
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — the fish
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. saw — the tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. craft — a skill
  21. date — the fruit
  22. board — to get on
  23. field — a subject
  24. fan — a supporter

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