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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
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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 · bowl · fan · cold · key · current · pitch · drill

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — army training
  4. key — in music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. field — for sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — not warm
  16. current — electric
  17. key — for a lock
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitch — completely
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. current — of water

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