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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. object — to protest
  3. field — for sport
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. sharp — clever
  7. current — electric
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. field — a subject
  11. current — happening now
  12. object — an aim
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. current — of water
  15. craft — a skill
  16. object — a thing
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cell — a phone
  22. craft — boats
  23. game — a match
  24. field — farmland

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