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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: dip · pitch · bound · bass · rule · land · pitcher · fork

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bound — certain
  3. fork — in a road
  4. land — to come down
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rule — a law
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rule — government
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bass — low music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. land — a country
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bound — tied together

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