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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. perch — the fish
  4. charge — a price
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — to tease
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitch — completely
  17. charge — in control
  18. roll — a list
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rash — a series
  23. kid — child
  24. charge — electricity

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