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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. current — happening now
  10. craft — a skill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. craft — boats
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. fine — high quality
  21. tube — a container
  22. hand — help
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. leaves — to go away

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