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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. tube — a container
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. tube — the underground
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. craft — boats
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. season — of the year
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. squash — the sport

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