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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 116 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. ball — a dance
  4. last — final
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mug — a face
  7. craft — boats
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. last — finally
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pitch — completely
  16. kid — child
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rush — hurry
  24. last — to go on

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