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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · lean · fork · can · swing · pitch · game · ground

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. game — a match
  3. craft — boats
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ground — the earth
  7. swing — to play on
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ground — a position
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. craft — a skill
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lean — thin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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