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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: field · pitch · wake · cell · pitcher · lash · object · pop

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. cell — a phone
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. field — a subject
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pop — music
  19. object — to protest
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cell — in a prison

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