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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. craft — boats
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. season — in sport
  6. face — part of the head
  7. can — a tin
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. face — to confront
  11. scale — size or range
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. can — a tin
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. can — to be able to
  18. face — to point toward
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. season — of the year
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. scale — in music
  24. kick — in football

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