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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · bound · game · foot · trunk · race · chest · craft

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. chest — a box
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — boats
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. race — the arms race
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. date — the fruit
  15. foot — a measure
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — a skill
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bound — certain
  24. game — a kind of play

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