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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: swing · sharp · last · field · fan · mark · track · pitch

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mark — a trace
  3. track — a path
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. last — final
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitch — completely
  10. swing — to play on
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — a subject
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. swing — music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. field — farmland
  20. swing — in golf
  21. track — a song
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. last — finally

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