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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. swing — music
  6. cell — in biology
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pitch — completely
  10. craft — boats
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. craft — a skill
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bear — the animal

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