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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · face · ball · straw · field · band

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. face — part of the head
  3. band — a ring
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a dance
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pitch — completely
  9. field — farmland
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. face — to confront
  12. field — a subject
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. band — a music group
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. straw — dry grass

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