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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: pit · leaves · pitcher · craft · row · bowl · kick · fine

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — a line
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fine — all right
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kick — in football
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pit — in a race
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. craft — boats
  24. pit — a hole

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