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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bear — the animal
  17. craft — boats
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. shower — rain
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. saw — the tool

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