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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: pitch · season · field · root · bat · fine · jam · mug

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pitch — completely
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mug — a cup
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. bat — the animal
  9. root — of a word
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. field — for sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. season — of the year
  19. field — farmland
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. season — in sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. fine — a penalty

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