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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. craft — boats
  4. wind — moving air
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a match
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wind — moving air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. craft — a skill
  19. hand — help
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hand — part of the body

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