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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: pop · pit · fork · foot · leaves · safe · pitcher · cold

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pop — music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fork — in a road
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pop — soda
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cold — not warm
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pit — in a race

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