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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — a subject
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitch — completely
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. content — the amount
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pop — music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. field — for sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — farmland
  24. chair — a professorship

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