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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. key — in music
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. craft — a skill
  10. key — for a lock
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. craft — boats
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — wild animals
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stem — a stem cell

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