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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. toast — bread
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitch — completely
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ground — crushed
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — a position
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. clip — for paper
  22. court — of law
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. court — 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