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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. swing — to play on
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — to tease
  7. club — for golf
  8. land — ground
  9. club — for dancing
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. key — in music
  12. kid — child
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. swing — in golf
  17. key — the most important part
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. swing — music
  20. land — a country
  21. key — for a lock
  22. club — a group
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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