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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 · snap · mine · nail · trunk · craft · sharp · court

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. sharp — clever
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mine — for digging
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. court — for sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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