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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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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 · fine · wound · saw · track · roll · pitcher · racket

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. roll — a list
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a song
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — a path
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wound — an injury

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