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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. key — the most important part
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bound — certain
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitch — completely
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bound — tied together
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. key — for a lock
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. key — in music

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