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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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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: ball · row · pitch · wind · hand · tube · fork · hide

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — a container
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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