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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: pitcher · craft · chair · pitch · mark · stick · field · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pitch — completely
  6. field — a subject
  7. current — of water
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mark — a trace
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — electric
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. field — for sport
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. craft — boats
  21. mark — a grade
  22. field — farmland
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chair — a professorship

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