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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · content · staff · rest · mate · pitch · fine · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — farmland
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — for sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mate — to breed
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitch — completely
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. field — a subject
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — help
  24. content — happy

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