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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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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: fall · leaves · mate · fork · craft · fan · race · chip

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. craft — boats
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — a friend
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fall — the season
  19. race — humankind
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — to drop
  24. race — a contest

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