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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. craft — a skill
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. board — a committee
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. ball — a dance
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. board — to get on
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. kid — child
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — the sport
  19. craft — boats
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. squash — to crush

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