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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ball — a great time
  5. craft — a skill
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cold — not warm
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. ball — a dance
  24. craft — a handicraft

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