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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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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: cell · cap · sharp · field · mouse · pound · pitch · bay

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cap — a lid
  15. field — farmland
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. cap — a hat
  19. field — for sport
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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