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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: pitch · field · pop · chest · file · sharp · lie · bound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. file — a document
  3. pop — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chest — a box
  9. lie — to recline
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bound — certain
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — for sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pop — to visit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. field — farmland

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