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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. row — a line
  5. fine — all right
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. file — a tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stand — to bear
  15. face — to confront
  16. file — a document
  17. band — a ring
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. row — to paddle
  21. face — part of the head
  22. craft — boats
  23. fine — high quality
  24. craft — a skill

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