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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. content — happy
  6. craft — a skill
  7. present — there
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. present — a gift
  11. key — in music
  12. race — a contest
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rush — hurry
  15. race — the arms race
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. race — humankind
  19. present — the time now
  20. craft — boats
  21. key — for a lock
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — a sports field

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