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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.

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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: pitch · clip · rush · bowl · sharp · hand · craft · bulb

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. clip — a video
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hand — help
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. sharp — clever
  19. craft — boats
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rush — a thrill

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