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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 120 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: pound · fork · pitch · deal · board · key · shower · wound

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. key — in music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pound — a weight
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — to get on
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — a committee
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. shower — rain
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitch — completely
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. key — the most important part

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