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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: mate · fork · chest · firm · pitch · track · prune · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. firm — steady
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. firm — decided
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pitch — completely
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. chest — a box
  17. track — a path
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fork — in a road
  21. track — a song
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chest — of your body
  24. firm — a company

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