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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chair — a leader
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mark — a grade
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mark — a trace
  24. season — to add flavour

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