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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. craft — boats
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. net — in sport
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — after costs
  16. craft — a skill
  17. shower — to wash
  18. current — happening now
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. net — for catching
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bowl — a dish

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