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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: cabinet · stick · fork · chip · craft · court · mate · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. court — of law
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fork — in a road
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chip — for betting
  13. craft — boats
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. court — of a king
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mate — a friend
  23. court — for sport
  24. mate — a partner

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