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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. season — in sport
  3. cap — a lid
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pound — a weight
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. craft — boats
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — of the year
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. cap — a hat
  21. land — ground
  22. cap — of ice
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. craft — a handicraft

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