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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: staff · present · pitcher · coach · mate · bass · pit · field

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. present — there
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — a subject
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. field — farmland
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mate — a partner
  13. present — a gift
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. present — the time now
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. mate — a friend
  23. field — for sport
  24. pit — a hole

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