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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mine — for digging
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. craft — boats
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. field — a subject
  14. ball — a dance
  15. prune — to trim
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fork — in a road
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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