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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 · straw · rash · net · fork · bore · roll · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. net — after costs
  11. bore — to drill
  12. roll — a list
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. net — for catching
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitch — completely
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rash — a series
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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