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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — to shout
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — final
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. perch — the fish
  13. craft — boats
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. craft — a skill
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — of a tree

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