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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. tube — the underground
  9. field — farmland
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. tube — a container
  14. craft — a skill
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. craft — boats
  20. pitch — completely
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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