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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: pitch · craft · bound · nail · clip · arm · season · bear

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. season — of the year
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — to cut
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bound — obliged
  14. season — in sport
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. craft — boats
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bound — tied together
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bound — certain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bear — to put up with

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