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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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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: kick · pitch · racket · fork · squash · fall · tube · foot

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pitch — completely
  5. kick — in football
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fall — the season
  8. squash — the sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fall — to drop
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fork — in a road
  24. squash — to crush

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