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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · game · wind · pitch · fork · cabinet · spring · dip

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — a match
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — the season
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spring — a coil
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spring — of water
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wind — moving air
  24. game — a kind of play

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