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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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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: dip · stick · ground · racket · pitcher · roll · fork · row

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. roll — a list
  16. row — a line
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. row — to paddle
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. dip — to sink
  23. roll — a cake
  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