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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: snap · stock · field · jam · trunk · pitch · cell · hide

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. snap — to click
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stock — shares
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cell — a phone
  13. field — farmland
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cell — in biology
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitch — completely
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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