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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: craft · spring · pitch · cell · fall · lie · bat · safe

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. craft — boats
  9. spring — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spring — a coil
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. lie — to recline
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lie — an untruth

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