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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: mate · pitch · fan · mug · rest · fork · court · straw

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mug — to rob
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mate — a friend
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of a king
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mug — a face
  24. rest — what's left

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