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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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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: pitch · racket · stand · lie · staff · cold · arm · field

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. field — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pitch — completely
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cold — not warm
  10. field — a subject
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. field — farmland
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. staff — employees
  16. stand — to bear
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lie — to recline
  24. racket — for tennis

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