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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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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: can · stick · cap · pit · land · spring · fork · pitch

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cap — a lid
  6. can — a tin
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. can — to be able to
  10. spring — a coil
  11. land — to come down
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cap — a hat
  14. can — a tin
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pit — in a race
  21. spring — of water
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pitch — a sports field

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