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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cap — of ice
  10. march — music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spell — magic
  16. cap — a lid
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — a leader
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. spell — letters
  24. fork — in a road

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