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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. object — to protest
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. land — to come down
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. craft — boats
  11. object — an aim
  12. land — a country
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. band — a ring
  16. object — a thing
  17. kick — in football
  18. land — ground
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  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