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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. land — ground
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bound — certain
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. last — finally
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mark — a grade
  9. land — to come down
  10. hand — help
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — to go on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. last — final
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. land — a country
  21. craft — boats
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. craft — a handicraft

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