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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: nail · staff · mug · rest · pitch · field · bear · cell

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitch — completely
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. field — for sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. field — farmland
  19. cell — a phone
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitch — a sports field

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