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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 120 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 · hand · fork · cap · key · bound · net · kid

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. key — in music
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. hand — in cards
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — a hat
  13. key — for a lock
  14. net — after costs
  15. hand — help
  16. net — for catching
  17. kid — child
  18. bound — obliged
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cap — of ice
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. net — in sport

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