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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — to be able to
  7. craft — a skill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pit — in a race
  13. craft — boats
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. can — a tin
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. chair — a professorship

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