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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · fork · craft · field · squash · ball · arm · fan

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. craft — boats
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. craft — a skill
  8. field — farmland
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. field — a subject
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. date — the fruit
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. field — for sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fan — a supporter

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