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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. pop — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. field — for sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. court — of law
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chip — for betting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stand — to bear
  14. court — for sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. board — a committee
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — of a king
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pop — soda
  23. board — to get on
  24. stand — for spectators

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