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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rock — music
  4. craft — boats
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. current — electric
  11. rock — a stone
  12. current — of water
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. current — happening now
  16. field — farmland
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — a partner

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