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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 120 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: can · ball · field · season · stock · dip · chest · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. field — a subject
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. season — in sport
  11. dip — to sink
  12. ball — a great time
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. pitch — completely
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — shares
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — goods

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