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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ground — a position
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. craft — a skill
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. craft — boats
  12. ground — crushed
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. capital — a city
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. season — in sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. season — of the year
  23. capital — money
  24. date — on the calendar

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