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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: fork · coach · rash · saw · rest · file · pitch · ground

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. file — a line of people
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitch — completely
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  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