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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pit — a hole
  3. craft — a skill
  4. spell — letters
  5. pit — in a race
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hand — in cards
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. club — for golf
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. club — a group
  22. hand — help
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. craft — boats

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