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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · saw · degree · craft · cabinet · mouse · rash · bat

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. craft — boats
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rash — a series
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. degree — from a university
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — hasty

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