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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: fork · pitch · racket · cue · field · ground · wax · season

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cue — a hint
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — the earth
  15. field — farmland
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. ground — crushed
  19. field — for sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wax — to grow
  23. field — a subject
  24. ground — a position

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