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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 · snap · straw · wound · charge · rash · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rash — a series
  11. wound — an injury
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. snap — to click
  14. wound — an injury
  15. charge — in control
  16. kick — in football
  17. charge — electricity
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. charge — a price
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitch — a sports field

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