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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: mug · pass · fork · tear · roll · pitch · spring · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. present — the time now
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mug — a face
  10. present — a gift
  11. pass — a permit
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. roll — a cake
  22. spring — the season
  23. roll — a list
  24. tear — from crying

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