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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: fork · root · pitch · key · pop · wound · bay · season

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — in music
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pitch — completely
  7. key — the most important part
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pop — music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pop — soda
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. root — of a word
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. key — for a lock
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. root — of a plant
  23. season — in sport
  24. root — the cause

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