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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: bark · pitch · kick · pitcher · face · field · plane · bay

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — in football
  4. field — for sport
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. field — farmland
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. face — to confront
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. face — part of the head
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. plane — in geometry

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