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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: land · deal · pitch · roll · fork · cap · firm · row

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. firm — steady
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cap — a lid
  5. row — a line
  6. roll — a list
  7. land — ground
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. firm — decided
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cap — of ice
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. firm — a company

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