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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: bound · mine · court · pitch · sharp · pit · scale · fork

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bound — obliged
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pit — a hole
  7. court — for sport
  8. pit — in a race
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. sharp — with an edge

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