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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · wind · last · stand · craft · snap · bulb · pitch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wind — moving air
  4. craft — boats
  5. sharp — clever
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. last — final
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. last — finally
  19. wind — moving air
  20. snap — to click
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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