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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: stock · court · wound · fork · mate · pitch · pass · rest

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. court — of law
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rest — a break
  21. court — of a king
  22. stock — shares
  23. court — for sport
  24. rest — what's left

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