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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — hasty
  5. march — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. squash — the sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. rash — a series
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. craft — boats
  24. trunk — of a tree

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