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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. ground — the earth
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. last — finally
  10. ground — a position
  11. last — to go on
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. craft — boats
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. craft — a skill
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wind — moving air
  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