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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. craft — boats
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. kick — in football
  15. pitch — completely
  16. date — the fruit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. date — on the calendar

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