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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. roll — a cake
  3. key — in music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. key — for a lock
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tube — a container
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. roll — a list
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bark — to shout
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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