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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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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: arm · fine · calf · fork · wind · chair · toast · pitch

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fine — high quality
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fine — all right
  16. toast — bread
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wind — moving air
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fork — in a road

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