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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — a subject
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bass — the fish
  7. pitch — completely
  8. tear — from crying
  9. field — farmland
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tear — to rip
  12. field — for sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — a tin
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bass — low music
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bulb — for light

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