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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · ball · mine · pitch · fork · staff · charge · cold

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. fork — in a road
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. charge — a price
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. charge — in control
  22. staff — employees
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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