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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · cue · field · season · chip · spring · fine · pitch

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cue — a hint
  4. chip — to eat
  5. field — for sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. season — of the year
  8. spring — the season
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. field — a subject
  11. pound — a weight
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. season — in sport
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fine — all right
  24. pound — to hit hard

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