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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitch — completely
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spring — the season
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. net — in sport
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spring — of water
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. snap — to click
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — a coil
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. plane — in geometry

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