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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 116 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: ruler · club · kid · spell · pitch · fork · rock · file

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rock — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spell — magic
  14. club — a group
  15. file — a document
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kid — child
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spell — letters
  24. club — for golf

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