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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: track · cell · bear · swing · mine · pitch · field · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. swing — music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. track — a path
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. track — to keep track
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bear — the animal
  23. field — for sport
  24. mine — for digging

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