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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. field — farmland
  3. craft — boats
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — help
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. field — for sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hand — in cards
  18. field — a subject
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rest — a break

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