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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. present — the time now
  5. field — for sport
  6. race — a contest
  7. craft — a skill
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. field — farmland
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitch — completely
  18. craft — boats
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. present — a gift
  21. perch — the fish
  22. present — there
  23. race — humankind
  24. bass — the instrument

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