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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 120 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: mate · pitch · chair · trunk · foot · bore · fork · lean

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. lean — thin
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pitch — completely
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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