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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: fork · roll · racket · rock · row · pitch · firm · clip

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. firm — a company
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. firm — steady
  11. rock — music
  12. row — to paddle
  13. clip — a video
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitch — completely
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. firm — decided
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fork — in a road

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