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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a skill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pitch — completely
  9. field — for sport
  10. sharp — clever
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tear — to rip
  14. craft — boats
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — farmland
  17. bulb — for light
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. tear — from crying
  24. plane — a tool

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