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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · press · pitch · fine · date · pound · field · wound

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pound — a weight
  7. press — to push
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fine — all right
  13. field — farmland
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. press — a publisher
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. field — for sport
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. date — the fruit

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