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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: pitch · fan · land · temple · row · lash · field · mug

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. field — for sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitch — completely
  6. field — a subject
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — farmland
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. land — to come down
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. row — to paddle
  17. land — ground
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. row — a line
  24. pitch — a sports field

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