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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chest — a box
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rock — music
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bark — to shout
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — a subject
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitch — completely

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