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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: fork · craft · object · bass · rest · club · last · cold

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fork — in a road
  3. object — to protest
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rest — a break
  6. club — for dancing
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. rest — what's left
  12. object — an aim
  13. last — final
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cold — an illness
  17. club — for golf
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bass — low music
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cold — not warm
  24. club — a group

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