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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: cabinet · pitch · wound · current · roll · safe · field · stock

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — for sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. roll — a list
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — a subject
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stock — goods
  13. current — of water
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. current — happening now
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — electric
  21. field — farmland
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. roll — a cake

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