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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. craft — boats
  5. fork — in a road
  6. net — for catching
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. staff — employees
  9. bass — low music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. craft — a skill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. net — in sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. staff — employees
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. net — after costs

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