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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: cell · pop · present · pitcher · spell · sharp · pitch · row

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. present — a gift
  4. cell — in biology
  5. row — a line
  6. present — the time now
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. row — to paddle
  14. present — there
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pop — soda
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pitch — a sports field

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