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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 120 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: mate · firm · field · pitch · cold · bound · dip · bowl

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. firm — a company
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mate — to breed
  6. field — farmland
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. field — a subject
  18. mate — a partner
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mate — a friend
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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