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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: lash · march · pitch · spring · ground · swing · field · present

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. spring — of water
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — farmland
  12. ground — a position
  13. swing — music
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. swing — in golf
  19. present — there
  20. swing — to play on
  21. present — the time now
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — a subject
  24. march — the month

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