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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: club · bore · fork · pitcher · wound · pitch · chair · craft

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. club — a group
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. craft — a skill

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