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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. craft — boats
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. board — a committee
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — help
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. file — a tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. board — to get on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cell — a phone
  20. file — a line of people
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a flat piece

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