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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: toast · swing · fork · pitch · foot · racket · mine · sharp

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. toast — bread
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mine — for digging
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pitch — completely
  20. swing — music
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. swing — to play on
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. foot — a measure

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