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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — in a road
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wake — a trail
  6. craft — a skill
  7. last — finally
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — to go on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — in music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cell — in biology
  18. last — final
  19. craft — boats
  20. lie — to recline
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. scale — size or range

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