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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. race — humankind
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — a gift
  9. race — a contest
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. present — the time now
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. present — there

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