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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. press — to push
  4. track — a song
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. press — a publisher
  13. track — to keep track
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. band — a music group
  16. track — a path
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. band — a ring
  20. degree — from a university
  21. craft — boats
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. press — newspapers

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