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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: fork · foot · kid · firm · dip · season · cap · pitch

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. foot — a measure
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. dip — to sink
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. firm — steady
  9. season — of the year
  10. kid — to tease
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. firm — a company
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — in sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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