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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to click
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. craft — a skill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wave — with your hand

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