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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: field · mouse · coach · rest · ground · chip · pitch · spring

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ground — a position
  4. rest — a break
  5. field — for sport
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. field — a subject
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mouse — for a computer

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