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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spell — letters
  3. craft — a skill
  4. present — a gift
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. key — in music
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. net — for catching
  13. craft — boats
  14. net — in sport
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fork — in a road
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. net — after costs
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fork — to eat with

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