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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. spring — of water
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bank — of a river
  6. craft — boats
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. race — humankind
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — a contest
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spring — the season
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. spring — a coil
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — farmland
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pitch — completely

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