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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. last — final
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. craft — boats
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. last — to go on
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — in cards
  21. last — finally
  22. game — wild animals
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. hand — help

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