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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: chest · fork · ball · cap · craft · stock · sharp · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cap — a lid
  3. craft — a skill
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fork — in a road
  9. ball — a dance
  10. last — final
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. craft — boats
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. last — to go on
  20. chest — a box
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. ball — a great time
  24. fork — to eat with

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