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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 120 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: file · craft · safe · pitch · spell · sharp · field · cell

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cell — a phone
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. file — a tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. file — a document
  9. craft — boats
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. field — a subject
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — farmland
  15. cell — in biology
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pitch — completely
  18. craft — a skill
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. file — a line of people
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. spell — letters
  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