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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. land — a country
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kick — in football
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. land — to come down
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. track — a path
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. land — ground
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. track — a song

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