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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: court · cap · cell · field · pitch · cabinet · fork · bark

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. field — for sport
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. court — for sport
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — of a king

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