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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: lean · pitch · pit · band · cue · chair · field · wave

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. field — for sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. field — a subject
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitch — completely
  11. band — a music group
  12. field — farmland
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. lean — thin
  20. band — a ring
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chair — a professorship

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