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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. degree — temperature
  3. craft — a skill
  4. firm — decided
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. club — a group
  8. firm — a company
  9. craft — boats
  10. land — a country
  11. wind — moving air
  12. degree — from a university
  13. firm — steady
  14. club — for dancing
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. club — for golf
  24. wind — moving air

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