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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: fork · fine · pitch · chair · race · wave · field · ground

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. field — farmland
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. race — humankind
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — a subject
  24. race — a contest

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