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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. row — a line
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — to go on
  6. fork — in a road
  7. last — final
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. craft — boats
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rash — hasty
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. last — finally
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rash — a series
  24. racket — for tennis

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