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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: fine · stem · pitcher · hand · field · pitch · bay · rush

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. field — farmland
  17. fine — high quality
  18. hand — help
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. field — a subject
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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