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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: field · bat · rock · ball · pass · coach · march · pitch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. march — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — for sport
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pass — a permit
  22. field — farmland
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a dance

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