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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — farmland
  5. season — of the year
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. track — to keep track
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a song
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. field — for sport
  22. track — a path
  23. field — a subject
  24. scale — for weighing

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