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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 · rush · spell · chest · cap · track · pitch · present

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spell — letters
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. present — the time now
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — a box
  17. track — a path
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. track — a song
  23. cap — a lid
  24. track — to keep track

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