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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 116 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 · spell · content · saw · pitch · can · cue · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pit — in a race
  11. content — happy
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cue — for pool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. content — the amount
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. spell — a short time

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