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

Word bank: cell · fork · calf · net · pitch · rule

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pitch — completely
  5. net — for catching
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. net — in sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. pitch — a sports field

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