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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: lean · ruler · pitch · date · wake · cold · fork · suit

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. suit — clothes
  3. pitch — completely
  4. lean — to bend
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wake — a trail
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. fork — in a road
  14. suit — in cards
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lean — thin

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