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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. craft — boats
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — the animal
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mine — for digging
  10. craft — a skill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pound — a weight
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bat — for baseball

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