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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. roll — a cake
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tear — to rip
  10. season — in sport
  11. craft — boats
  12. roll — a list
  13. season — of the year
  14. key — in music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tear — from crying
  18. plane — a tool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — a country
  24. racket — for tennis

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