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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bound — certain
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bound — tied together
  16. craft — boats
  17. snap — to click
  18. season — of the year
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bound — obliged
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. degree — from a university
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. season — to add flavour

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