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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chair — a leader
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chair — to sit on

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