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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — happy
  4. craft — a skill
  5. stand — to bear
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. root — of a word
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. root — of a plant
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. root — the cause
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. content — the amount

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