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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cue — for pool
  3. craft — boats
  4. cue — a signal
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. shower — rain
  16. last — final
  17. rash — a series
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pit — a hole
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pit — in a race
  22. last — to go on
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. last — finally

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