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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: field · toast · board · can · stick · cap · row · pitch

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. can — to be able to
  6. board — to get on
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. field — farmland
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitch — completely
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. toast — bread
  19. can — a tin
  20. board — a committee
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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