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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — a subject
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rush — hurry
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. date — the fruit
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. craft — boats
  22. field — farmland
  23. pitch — completely
  24. craft — a handicraft

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