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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: date · ground · pop · bowl · foot · game · pitcher · fork

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pop — soda
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pop — to visit
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. ground — a position
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. foot — a measure
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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