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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bat — the animal
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fork — in a road
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chip — to eat
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rash — a series
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bat — for baseball
  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