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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. can — to be able to
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rash — a series
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitch — completely
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. trunk — of a tree

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