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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: pitch · rush · mine · field · bay · date · fork · stand

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mine — for digging
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pitch — completely
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. stand — to bear
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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