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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. game — a match
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. present — a gift
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rock — a stone
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. present — there
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. present — the time now
  18. face — to point toward
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rock — music
  23. craft — boats
  24. face — to confront

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