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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: pitch · cold · bowl · jam · wave · field · season · club

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. field — a subject
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. season — in sport
  13. club — for golf
  14. field — for sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. club — a group
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cold — an illness
  22. field — farmland
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. jam — a tight spot

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