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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — hurry
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. craft — a skill
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — completely
  13. saw — the tool
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ball — a great time
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rush — to hurry

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