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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: pitcher · row · track · field · date · mine · racket · pitch

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. field — for sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — to paddle
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pitch — completely
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a path
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — for digging
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. field — a subject
  23. track — a song
  24. racket — a loud noise

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