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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bulb — for light
  6. net — after costs
  7. pitch — completely
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bat — the animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. field — farmland
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — a subject
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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