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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — to wash
  7. plane — a tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. roll — a cake
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. squash — to crush
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitch — completely
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. craft — boats
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. roll — a list

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