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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. craft — boats
  6. bat — the animal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cold — not warm
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — farmland
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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