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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. craft — a skill
  5. snap — to click
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bore — to drill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bore — to tire
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rest — a break
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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