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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: calf · rush · field · pitch · pitcher · object · hand · bowl

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — completely
  15. object — a thing
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. hand — help
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. field — for sport
  21. hand — in cards
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bowl — a dish

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