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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bound — certain
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. craft — boats
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. track — a song
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ball — a great time
  10. track — a path
  11. ground — a position
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ball — a dance
  18. capital — money
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. craft — a skill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. capital — a city
  24. kick — in football

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