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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. track — a song
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — wild animals
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. game — a match
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. track — a path
  18. drill — a practice
  19. craft — a skill
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — to keep track
  24. kid — to tease

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