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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bass — low music
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. field — farmland
  9. pit — in a race
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — to go on
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bass — the fish
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. can — to be able to
  21. last — finally
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — final

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