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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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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: pitch · present · race · fork · mate · content · land · pitcher

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — a country
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. land — to come down
  10. present — a gift
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. present — the time now
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. race — humankind
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. content — happy
  22. land — ground
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. present — there

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