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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: bound · sharp · pitch · bank · date · field · row · racket

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bank — for money
  3. date — the fruit
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. bank — for money
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. sharp — clever
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bound — tied together
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. field — a subject
  22. bound — certain
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pitch — completely

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