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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: pitch · sharp · deal · prune · wind · drill · squash · craft

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. drill — the tool
  3. squash — to crush
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. craft — a skill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. drill — army training
  12. squash — the sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. craft — boats
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — completely
  17. sharp — clever
  18. prune — to trim
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — a practice
  24. deal — a big deal

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