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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: mine · fork · chair · season · cue · foot · rash · craft

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rash — a series
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. craft — boats
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chair — to sit on

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