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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: foot · straw · pitch · shower · ground · stick · bank · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitch — completely
  3. shower — rain
  4. fork — in a road
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — the earth
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ground — a position
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bank — of a river
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bank — for money

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