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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · season · pit · pitch · track · wound · staff · drill

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. staff — a stick
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — army training
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. track — a song
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. track — a path
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bowl — a dish
  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