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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pitch — completely
  6. swing — music
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chair — a leader
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. toast — bread
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pound — to hit hard

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