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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: plane · date · bat · pitch · file · firm · rush · field

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rush — hurry
  3. file — a line of people
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitch — completely
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — farmland
  14. file — a tool
  15. plane — a tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. file — a document
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. field — a subject
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. firm — decided
  24. rush — to hurry

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