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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: pitch · bowl · band · tube · mine · rock · cabinet · fork

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rock — a stone
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tube — a container
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rock — music
  19. band — a ring
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. band — a music group
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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