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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: pitcher · field · bay · season · press · racket · jam · bound

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — in sport
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — a subject
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bound — certain
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. press — to push
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. field — for sport

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