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

Word bank: snap · pitch · bowl · cell · toast · craft

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. craft — a skill
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. toast — bread
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. craft — boats
  9. snap — to click
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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