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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — a match
  7. current — electric
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fork — in a road
  14. current — happening now
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. current — of water
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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