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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. present — there
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. present — the time now
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitch — completely
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. shower — to wash
  20. present — a gift
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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