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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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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: plane · stock · craft · kid · pitch · fork · squash · ball

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ball — a dance
  3. craft — a skill
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fork — in a road
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stock — shares
  12. kid — child
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. kid — to tease
  16. craft — boats
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. squash — to crush

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