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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · pitch · craft · degree · present · staff

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. degree — an amount
  3. present — a gift
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. drill — army training
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. staff — employees
  9. drill — the tool
  10. present — the time now
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pitch — completely
  13. craft — boats
  14. drill — a practice
  15. degree — temperature
  16. present — there
  17. staff — employees
  18. craft — a skill

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