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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: leaves · pitch · track · wind · pound · field · foot · ball

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. foot — a measure
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. field — for sport
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. track — a song
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pitch — completely
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. field — a subject
  17. track — to keep track
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. field — farmland
  22. track — a path
  23. pound — a weight
  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