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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. spell — magic
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — a short time
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. track — a path
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. board — to get on
  10. field — farmland
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — of the year
  15. track — a song
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitch — completely
  19. field — for sport
  20. spell — letters
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. board — a committee

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