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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: roll · lie · stick · pit · mine · fork · fan · pitcher

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lie — to recline
  23. roll — a list
  24. lie — an untruth

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