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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: arm · date · cap · roll · field · pass · file · pitch

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. field — a subject
  5. roll — a list
  6. file — a document
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cap — of ice
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cap — a lid
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cap — a hat
  20. file — a tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. arm — a part of something

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