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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. object — a thing
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hand — help
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. object — an aim
  14. craft — boats
  15. object — to protest
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fork — in a road
  20. key — for a lock
  21. hand — in cards
  22. key — in music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. key — the most important part

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