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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. shower — rain
  4. net — after costs
  5. court — for sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. court — of law
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. net — in sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — for catching
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. craft — a skill
  24. shower — to wash

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