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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: row · cap · club · fall · pitcher · arm · field · ground

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. field — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — for dancing
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ground — a position
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. club — a group
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fall — the season
  11. club — for golf
  12. ground — crushed
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — farmland
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — a subject
  20. cap — a hat
  21. row — a line
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. fall — to drop

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