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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 · mug · craft · last · wind · ball · rush · sharp

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mug — a face
  11. last — final
  12. mug — to rob
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. last — finally
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mug — a cup
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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