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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: bowl · mate · perch · sharp · pitch · craft · current · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. craft — boats
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitch — completely
  9. perch — the fish
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. sharp — clever
  14. current — happening now
  15. mate — to breed
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mate — a friend
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bound — obliged
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bowl — a football final

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