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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. craft — boats
  4. wind — moving air
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. board — a committee
  11. craft — a skill
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. board — to get on
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitch — completely

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