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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. spring — of water
  4. cold — an illness
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — completely
  9. spring — the season
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cold — not warm
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. squash — to crush
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. craft — boats
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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