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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · toast · stick · bowl · date · kid

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kid — child
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — a skill
  8. kid — to tease
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. craft — boats
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. toast — bread
  18. date — on the calendar

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