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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.

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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: trunk · season · lie · cabinet · field · pitch · pitcher · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. field — for sport
  3. season — in sport
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pitch — completely
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. field — a subject
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — of the year
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitcher — a jug

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