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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. land — to come down
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. saw — the tool
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. craft — boats
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. land — ground
  16. content — the amount
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. craft — a handicraft

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