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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 116 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: mine · fine · fork · rest · pitch · court · drill · trunk

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitch — completely
  7. court — for sport
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. court — of a king
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. court — of law
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fine — high quality
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fine — all right
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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