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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: kick · pitch · fine · wind · key · hand · rash · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — a series
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. hand — help
  11. kick — in football
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. key — in music
  17. fine — all right
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fork — to eat with

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