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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. scale — in music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bank — for money
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. net — for catching
  23. scale — size or range
  24. field — farmland

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