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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · net · wind · pitcher · fork · hand

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. hand — help
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. net — after costs
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. net — for catching
  9. wind — moving air
  10. object — a thing
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. object — an aim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. object — to protest
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wind — to turn a key

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