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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 120 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: pitch · hand · cell · field · stick · rush · dip · wind

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — for sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cell — in biology
  12. field — farmland
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rush — hurry
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. hand — help

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