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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. net — after costs
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. craft — boats
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. net — for catching
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stock — shares
  14. spell — a short time
  15. track — a song
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — a path
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — a stone
  20. spell — letters
  21. net — in sport
  22. craft — a skill
  23. spell — magic
  24. stock — a soup base

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