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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — a path
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. season — in sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mug — a face
  12. season — of the year
  13. cold — not warm
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mug — a cup
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cold — an illness
  19. track — to keep track
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. track — a song
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. craft — boats

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