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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: pitch · arm · fork · dip · bay · land · hand · season

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. land — to come down
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. dip — to sink
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitch — completely
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hand — help
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fork — in a road
  22. hand — in cards
  23. season — of the year
  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