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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rest — a break
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ground — a position
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hand — help

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