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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: bat · tear · court · mug · staff · saw · craft · fork

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — of a king
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bat — the animal
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. court — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mug — to rob
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. staff — a stick
  19. tear — to rip
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mug — a face
  22. fork — in a road
  23. court — of law
  24. craft — boats

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