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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: field · bat · board · deal · bay · plane · pitch · rash

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rash — a series
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pitch — completely
  7. field — for sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bat — the animal
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. board — to get on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. board — a committee
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. field — a subject

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