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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. squash — the sport
  4. craft — boats
  5. row — a line
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitch — completely
  9. current — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. row — to paddle
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. craft — a skill
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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