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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: kick · present · lean · cold · bore · fork · ball · pitch

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. present — there
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bore — to tire
  10. present — the time now
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bore — to drill
  18. present — a gift
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. kick — in football
  24. fork — to eat with

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