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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — a city
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. capital — money
  7. hand — help
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. hand — in cards
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bass — the fish
  13. vault — a safe
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fork — in a road
  16. season — in sport
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pitch — completely
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bass — low 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