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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. craft — boats
  5. spell — magic
  6. craft — a skill
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cell — in biology
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cap — of ice
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cell — a phone
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spell — a short time
  24. date — the fruit

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