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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: ground · temple · fork · stick · pitch · snap · scale · pitcher

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. snap — to click
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. scale — in music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ground — a position
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitch — completely
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ground — the earth
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — size or range

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