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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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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: file · present · pitch · pit · row · craft

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. row — a line
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. file — a line of people
  6. present — there
  7. pitch — completely
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pit — in a race
  10. file — a document
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. present — the time now
  15. craft — boats
  16. pit — a hole
  17. craft — a skill
  18. present — a gift

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