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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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 — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. game — a match
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. spring — of water
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — to rip
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. tear — from crying
  23. craft — a skill
  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