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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. craft — a skill
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. present — the time now
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. file — a tool
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stock — goods
  20. craft — boats
  21. file — a document
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. file — a line of people
  24. craft — a handicraft

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