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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · last · suit · degree · craft · racket · ground · cell

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. suit — to fit
  3. craft — boats
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. suit — clothes
  9. craft — a skill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — the earth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cell — in biology
  14. degree — temperature
  15. last — finally
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. last — final
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mine — for digging
  20. last — to go on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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