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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. pit — a hole
  3. season — of the year
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. shower — rain
  11. hand — in cards
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — in sport
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. hand — help
  19. land — to come down
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. craft — boats
  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