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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 116 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: season · firm · pitch · wave · bat · field · row · race

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. field — farmland
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bat — the animal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. field — a subject
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. race — humankind
  15. firm — a company
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — a contest
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. field — for sport
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — a line
  24. firm — steady

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