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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a match
  7. craft — a skill
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chest — of your body
  12. game — wild animals
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bulb — for light
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — a sick person

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