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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 120 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: pit · calf · kid · pitcher · net · bass · fork · key

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. key — the most important part
  3. net — after costs
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. net — for catching
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kid — child
  9. bass — low music
  10. key — in music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — in a race
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. net — in sport
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — in a road

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