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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.

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: wake · shower · straw · craft · date · pitch · pit · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. craft — boats
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spell — letters
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spell — a short time
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. date — the fruit
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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