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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: object · pitch · mug · saw · cabinet · bass · field · drill

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. object — a thing
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bass — low music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mug — a cup
  9. object — to protest
  10. saw — the tool
  11. object — an aim
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mug — a face
  14. bass — the fish
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitch — completely
  18. field — for sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. drill — army training
  21. field — farmland
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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