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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · firm · hand · game · stock · wake · stick · pitch

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stock — goods
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. firm — a company
  11. fork — in a road
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. game — a match
  18. firm — steady
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. firm — decided
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fork — a garden tool

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