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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · field · charge · pitch · file · season · degree · chair

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. charge — in control
  3. file — a line of people
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. season — in sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. field — for sport
  11. file — a tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. degree — from a university
  14. charge — a price
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. track — to keep track
  19. field — a subject
  20. track — a path
  21. degree — an amount
  22. track — a song
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pitch — completely

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