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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitch — completely
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cell — a phone
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. field — a subject
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — in biology
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bass — low music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pound — a weight

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