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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. land — to come down
  4. row — a line
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. land — a country
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chest — a box
  13. craft — boats
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chest — of your body
  22. land — ground
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stem — to come from

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