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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: foot · bass · bound · field · pitch · shower · wake · pitcher

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — a subject
  4. bound — certain
  5. field — for sport
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wake — a trail
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. shower — rain
  18. bass — low music
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bound — obliged

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