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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bore — to drill
  3. craft — boats
  4. season — of the year
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cell — in biology
  10. court — of law
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cell — a phone
  16. season — in sport
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. hand — help
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bore — to tire
  22. court — for sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bore — gave birth

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