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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mark — a grade
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. file — a document
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mark — a trace
  20. craft — boats
  21. game — a match
  22. sharp — clever
  23. game — wild animals
  24. sharp — with an edge

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