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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: spell · fork · pitch · temple · can · pitcher · last · game

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spell — letters
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spell — magic
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. game — a match
  24. temple — side of the head

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