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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: bat · court · saw · row · fork · pop · craft · toast

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. row — to paddle
  7. court — of law
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pop — soda
  10. row — a line
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pop — music
  16. saw — the tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — for sport
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. toast — bread
  23. craft — boats
  24. row — a quarrel

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