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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 · bear · band · pitcher · pit · scale · sharp · game

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. scale — size or range
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. field — a subject
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. sharp — clever
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bear — the animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. band — a music group
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. pit — a hole
  24. game — a match

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