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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 120 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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. net — after costs
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. craft — a skill
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. craft — boats
  10. key — in music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. content — the amount
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — in sport
  17. land — a country
  18. key — the most important part
  19. net — for catching
  20. key — for a lock
  21. content — happy
  22. face — to confront
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. face — part of the head

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