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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. field — farmland
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. band — a music group
  9. mate — a friend
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. field — a subject
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — for sport
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. stock — shares
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mug — a face
  21. stock — goods
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. clip — for paper

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