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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: pitch · bat · fine · cabinet · tear · pit · field · can

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — farmland
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. can — a tin
  8. fine — high quality
  9. field — for sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — a subject
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pitch — completely
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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