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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. saw — the tool
  8. key — for a lock
  9. capital — a city
  10. key — the most important part
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. key — in music
  13. net — for catching
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. foot — a measure
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. foot — part of the body

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