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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: hide · roll · craft · ground · chair · sharp · fork · deal

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chair — a leader
  4. craft — boats
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ground — crushed
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fork — in a road
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. roll — a cake
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. roll — a list
  20. ground — a position
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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