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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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · dip · march · field · stick · cue

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. field — a subject
  8. march — the month
  9. cue — a signal
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cue — a hint
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — farmland
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — for pool

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