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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 120 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: saw · ball · pitch · nail · pitcher · file · craft · fall

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. file — a document
  20. fall — the season
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. craft — a skill
  24. file — a tool

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