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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: rest · cell · staff · jam · dip · net · pitch · field

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rest — what's left
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cell — in biology
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rest — a break
  12. net — for catching
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. net — in sport
  16. staff — a stick
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — for sport
  21. cell — a phone
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. staff — employees

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