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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pitch — completely
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mate — a partner
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. row — a line
  23. roll — a cake
  24. foot — the bottom

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