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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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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 · rash · mug · object · pitch · bound · shower · can

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bound — certain
  6. mug — to rob
  7. can — a tin
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. shower — rain
  10. rash — hasty
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mug — a face
  17. object — a thing
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pitch — completely

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