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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. craft — boats
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bass — the fish
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bass — low music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fork — in a road

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