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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: net · tear · arm · fork · pit · pitch · land · band

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. land — ground
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pit — in a race
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. net — after costs
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pit — a hole
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a music group
  17. land — a country
  18. tear — to rip
  19. net — for catching
  20. land — to come down
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. arm — part of the body

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