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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: chair · field · racket · bear · pitch · plane · fork · kid

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. field — for sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. field — farmland
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. field — a subject
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fork — in a road
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bear — to put up with

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