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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: field · craft · scale · saw · fan · pitch · press · game

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a match
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. press — to push
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitch — completely
  9. press — a publisher
  10. craft — a skill
  11. scale — size or range
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. craft — boats
  20. field — a subject
  21. press — newspapers
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. scale — in music
  24. saw — the tool

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