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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. net — for catching
  3. drill — a practice
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cue — for pool
  7. net — in sport
  8. ground — a position
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. ground — crushed
  11. craft — boats
  12. cue — a signal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. scale — in music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. net — after costs
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fork — in a road
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — army training

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