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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: mate · field · row · craft · staff · rest · roll · sharp

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mate — a partner
  4. field — a subject
  5. row — to paddle
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. staff — employees
  10. row — a line
  11. craft — boats
  12. roll — a list
  13. craft — a skill
  14. field — farmland
  15. mate — a friend
  16. staff — employees
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — a stick
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. field — for sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. roll — a cake
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mate — to breed

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