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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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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. craft — a skill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. craft — boats
  9. mug — a face
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. kick — in football
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spell — magic
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mug — to rob
  18. spell — letters
  19. spring — of water
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spring — the season
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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