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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: ball · craft · pitch · court · sharp · lash · fan · spell

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. court — for sport
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spell — letters
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. spell — magic
  20. ball — a great time
  21. craft — a skill
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. sharp — clever

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