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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: cold · field · suit · face · mouse · pitcher · pitch · trunk

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cold — not warm
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. face — to confront
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitch — completely
  24. field — for sport

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