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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. land — to come down
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — finally
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. land — a country
  18. last — to go on
  19. land — ground
  20. plane — a tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. last — final
  24. coach — a trainer

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