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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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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: staff · craft · pitch · march · bear · field · fall · stick

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. march — music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. march — the month
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — boats
  20. staff — employees
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fall — to drop

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