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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rush · stock · file · field · ball

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. field — a subject
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rush — hurry
  14. field — for sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a document
  18. rush — a thrill

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