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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bank — for money
  5. pit — a hole
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bank — of a river
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bank — for money
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. drill — army training
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — completely
  22. drill — the tool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mine — an explosive

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