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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cap — a hat
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mark — a grade
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — completely
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. craft — boats
  24. prune — to trim

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