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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: chair · pitch · lie · bat · fork · racket · bear · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bat — the animal
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — a jug

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