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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 120 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rock — a stone
  12. shower — rain
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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