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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a friend
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. present — a gift
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rash — a series
  15. craft — boats
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wind — moving air
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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