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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 116 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. court — of law
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. club — a group
  11. field — for sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. drill — army training
  14. field — farmland
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. court — for sport
  17. drill — a practice
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. club — for golf
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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