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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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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: mate · pitch · field · fine · pit · club · bank · cell

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mate — a partner
  3. club — a group
  4. cell — a phone
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bank — for money
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. field — farmland
  24. cell — in a prison

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