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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: tube · pitch · board · last · field · degree · saw · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. last — final
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. last — finally
  7. field — farmland
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. fine — all right
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitch — completely
  14. degree — from a university
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. field — for sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — the underground
  20. board — a committee
  21. saw — the tool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitch — a sports field

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