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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: mug · can · pitch · field · ground · stick · row · craft

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ground — crushed
  4. field — a subject
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mug — a face
  7. row — a line
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. craft — boats
  10. can — to be able to
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mug — to rob
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. craft — a skill
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitch — completely
  24. can — a tin

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