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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: straw · file · field · mark · land · pitch · trunk · foot

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitch — completely
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. foot — a measure
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. land — ground
  9. file — a document
  10. land — a country
  11. field — for sport
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. file — a tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mark — a trace
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. field — farmland
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — a grade

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