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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 116 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 · wake · pit · drill · cell · ground · sharp · craft

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. sharp — clever
  5. drill — army training
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cell — a phone
  20. craft — boats
  21. ground — crushed
  22. drill — the tool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitch — completely

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