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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: pitch · foot · squash · hand · bay · pit · field · rock

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hand — help
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — to crush
  8. field — a subject
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pit — in a race
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. foot — a measure
  14. field — farmland
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rock — music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rock — a stone
  24. hand — in cards

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