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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: net · field · cap · fork · pitch · staff · deal · chip

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pitch — completely
  4. net — for catching
  5. cap — a lid
  6. staff — employees
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. net — after costs
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. field — for sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. net — in sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cap — a hat
  24. field — farmland

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