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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: craft · pitch · straw · race · sharp · file · net · bay

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — for catching
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. race — a contest
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. race — humankind
  10. net — in sport
  11. file — a document
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. sharp — clever
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. file — a line of people
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bay — a horse colour

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