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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitch — completely
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ground — crushed
  11. craft — boats
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. perch — the fish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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