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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. present — there
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. present — a gift
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — the cause
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. root — of a word
  19. staff — a stick
  20. present — the time now
  21. root — of a plant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. craft — boats
  24. squash — to crush

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