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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: sharp · date · roll · net · game · present · pitch · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. game — a match
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — a gift
  12. net — for catching
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. roll — a list
  20. present — the time now
  21. roll — a cake
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — there
  24. roll — on a roll

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