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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: degree · sharp · craft · row · stand · last · cabinet · plane

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. degree — an amount
  4. sharp — clever
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. last — final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stand — to bear
  12. row — to paddle
  13. craft — boats
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. plane — a tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. craft — a skill
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. last — finally
  22. row — a line
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. plane — in geometry

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