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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: rock · pitch · spell · wake · craft · sharp · pitcher · bowl

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitch — completely
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rock — music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. spell — magic
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — letters
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bowl — a dish

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