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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: craft · bat · pitch · ball · prune · file · bowl · wake

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bat — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. prune — to trim
  13. file — a tool
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a document
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. ball — a great time
  23. craft — boats
  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