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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: fork · drill · club · degree · craft · roll · cabinet · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. craft — a skill
  3. roll — a list
  4. club — a group
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. drill — army training
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. rest — what's left
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fork — in a road

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