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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 · cue · field · bank · bass · wind · face · saw

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — farmland
  4. bass — low music
  5. field — a subject
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bank — for money
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. face — to confront
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cue — a signal
  24. saw — the tool

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