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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. craft — a skill
  10. net — in sport
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. net — after costs
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — for catching

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