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

Word bank: pitch · wave · chest · fork · march · row

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. march — music
  12. chest — a box
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fork — in a road
  15. row — a line
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body

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