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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. shower — to wash
  11. suit — clothes
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. shower — rain
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. suit — to fit
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kick — in football
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pitch — completely

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