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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: pit · land · face · bay · field · pitch · rock · patient

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. face — to confront
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pit — in a race
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. land — a country
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. field — farmland
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitch — completely
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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