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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — boats
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. land — a country
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ball — a great time
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cell — a phone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. land — ground
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kick — in football
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ball — a dance
  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