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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bound — tied together
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. craft — boats
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ball — a dance
  13. craft — a skill
  14. land — ground
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — a country
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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