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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 120 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: ruler · face · rest · pitch · field · pit · staff · drill

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rest — what's left
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. field — farmland
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — army training
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. face — part of the head
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rest — a break
  19. pit — in a race
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. field — a subject
  24. staff — employees

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