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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. club — a group
  4. mate — a partner
  5. date — the fruit
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. craft — boats
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — child
  13. club — for golf
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. club — for dancing
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. roll — a list
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. kid — to tease
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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