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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: kid · fall · bound · temple · pitch · fork · charge · bat

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fall — the season
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. charge — in control
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. bat — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fall — to drop
  22. charge — electricity
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kid — child

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