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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. tube — the underground
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fork — in a road
  6. craft — boats
  7. tube — a container
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. net — after costs
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. net — for catching
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. sharp — clever
  18. net — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. tube — in a tire

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