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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. saw — the tool
  4. craft — boats
  5. bat — the animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. roll — a cake
  10. present — the time now
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. roll — a list
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pop — music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. branch — a division
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitch — completely
  19. present — a gift
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pop — soda
  22. present — there
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — in an idiom

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