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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. craft — boats
  3. snap — to click
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. squash — to crush
  9. tube — the underground
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chip — for betting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pitch — completely
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chip — to eat
  24. march — music

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