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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: pit · mate · swing · clip · pitch · field · stem · pop

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pop — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. clip — for paper
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mate — a friend
  10. swing — music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pop — soda
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mate — to breed
  15. field — for sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. field — farmland
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pop — to visit

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