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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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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. field — farmland
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. charge — in control
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. content — the amount
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. charge — electricity
  17. content — happy
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. charge — a price
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — for sport
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitch — completely

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