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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  3. deal — to handle
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. court — of a king
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. perch — the fish
  11. court — for sport
  12. season — in sport
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bat — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  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