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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: pitch · straw · perch · drill · fork · bat · craft · fan

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bat — the animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. craft — a skill
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. drill — army training
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — a practice
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. craft — boats
  24. fork — to eat with

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