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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 · plane · net · ball · season · pitch · spell · saw

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. net — after costs
  3. spell — letters
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. ball — a dance
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. net — in sport
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spell — magic
  17. plane — a tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. ball — a great time
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — of the year
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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