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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · pit · band · mark · kid · field · pitcher · rash

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. field — a subject
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. band — a ring
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — child
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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