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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: toast · game · pitch · mark · pitcher · craft · nail · cell

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — a skill
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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