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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. court — for sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. craft — a skill
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — clever
  11. court — of a king
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. court — of law
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. craft — boats
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. net — in sport

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