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

Word bank: craft · fork · pit · club · straw · cell

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. craft — boats
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fork — in a road
  5. club — for golf
  6. pit — a hole
  7. club — a group
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pit — in a race
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fork — a garden 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