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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. craft — a skill
  6. present — a gift
  7. craft — boats
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. can — a tin
  11. race — humankind
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stand — to bear
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. can — a tin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. race — a contest
  23. can — to be able to
  24. race — the arms race

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