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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 · field · firm · leaves · capital · deal · racket · wind

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. deal — to handle
  4. firm — a company
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. firm — steady
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. capital — a city
  17. wind — moving air
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. field — for sport
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. field — farmland
  24. firm — decided

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