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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · wound · cold · pitch · rush · fork · lean · current

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. current — electric
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. current — happening now
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lean — thin
  14. rock — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — of water
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wound — an injury

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