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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bound — tied together
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. present — the time now
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. present — there
  15. craft — boats
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — the sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bound — certain
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bat — the animal

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