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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bass — the fish
  6. band — a ring
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — for sport
  10. bound — tied together
  11. field — a subject
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spell — magic
  15. bound — certain
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. band — a music group
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bound — obliged
  23. field — farmland
  24. bass — low music

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