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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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. race — humankind
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chest — of your body
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. race — a contest
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. foot — a measure
  13. march — the month
  14. pitch — completely
  15. march — the month
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chest — of your body
  21. march — music
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. craft — a skill
  24. chest — a box

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