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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 116 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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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: land · ground · bay · pitch · field · lean · pound · fork

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ground — a position
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lean — thin
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — a subject
  21. pound — a weight
  22. land — a country
  23. field — farmland
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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