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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: trunk · rest · saw · last · field · rock · pitch · scale

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. last — to go on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rest — a break
  12. last — finally
  13. rest — what's left
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. last — final
  19. scale — in music
  20. field — farmland
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitch — completely
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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