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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. craft — a handicraft
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. file — a line of people
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — help
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bass — low music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. craft — a skill
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bass — the fish
  23. craft — boats
  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