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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: game · trunk · dip · bat · field · cabinet · rash · craft

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rash — hasty
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. craft — boats
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — for sport
  13. game — a match
  14. field — farmland
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — a series
  21. field — a subject
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. craft — a skill

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