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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
468
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: field · rule · mine · trunk · staff · racket · pitch · net

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rule — a law
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — government
  17. field — farmland
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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